Taylor's Liquor Problem

News8Austin: Liquor by the glass ballot

Right now, you can buy liquor in Taylor, but you have to go to a liquor store to get it.

[...]

On Saturday, voters will decide whether the liquor stays in a store or branches out to restaurants. And a consultant believes Taylor needs alcohol sales in order to grow.

"The recommendation of that report was that it would be difficult to attract some of the larger chain restaurants, if we didn't have liquor by the drink," Assistant City Manager Charles Cunningham said.

Oh for fuck's sake. If the establishment-based prohibition was on selling something ubiquitous like salt, the immediate (and proper) counter-argument wouldn't be that letting people sell salt as they see fit would help grow the local economy.

It would be, You know what, you gawddamn city tyrants? You can plant your mouth to my ass because you don't own me! I would pay dearly to see even a plurality of the City of Taylor deliver that chorus to their "leaders." I cannot stand how this stuff is left to a vote, as if right and wrong and fact and fiction are up to a majority to decide.

Of course, even the people who ought to know better cannot remove their hands from others' wallets:

"One of the main things we're after is to keep Taylor's dining out dollars and sales tax dollars in Taylor. So, many of our citizens will go to Round Rock or Austin to eat out," Joe Naizer with Taylor Citizens for Better Restaurants said.

Copyright ©2005TWEAN News Channel of Austin, L.P. d.b.a. News 8 Austin

The only grain of validity in this is the acknowledgement of the obvious: people will generally avoid taxes, regulation, and bans in order to satisfy their needs. Everything else is tainted by protectionism and redistributionism. You want "better restaurants" Mr. Naizer? Demand the government stop interfering with their operations, thereby artificially raising their business costs. You want to "keep Taylor's dining out dollars" local? Remind the food industry in Taylor that it is up to them to attract and retain business once the state has left them alone.

Posted by Drizzten at February 04, 2005 10:30 AM